Epilogue

EPILOGUE

KILLIAN

" Y ou two are disgustingly happy," Leah remarks, a massive grin on her face, as Charlotte rejoins the table. She looks stunning in her dress, but she looks even better without it, and I can't wait to get back to our room to take her again.

My wolf is insatiable.

I take another subtle sniff, paranoid that her heat is starting, and that's why I can't seem to control myself around her.

Or maybe, this is normal for new mates.

I look around the table at my rapidly expanding family, and decide Chase is the only person I'd feel comfortable asking. I'll corner him over a drink later.

"So, any decisions on whether you're going to see if your wolf could be called forward?" I ask to distract Leah from bringing up my mates still slightly dishevelled hair.

She turns her silvery grey eyes, a common trait among our family it seems, on me, and bites her lip. With a reluctant sigh, she shakes her head, taking Rex's hand.

"No, I'm not going to force it. If she comes, great, but I'm not in a position to shift anyway right now…" A pink flush spreads across her cheeks, and Rex grabs her face, pulling her in for a big kiss in a rare show of emotion from the big man.

Hayley's jaw hangs open. "Are you…?" She looks like she's going to explode with excitement as she waits for Leah's answer.

"Yes, we're expecting." Leah is shyer than I've ever seen her, while Rex is proud as punch. "It's ridiculously early to be telling people, but I figured you'd all know soon enough. Especially with these two super sniffers hanging around." She waves a hand toward Marcus and Natalie but gives them a huge smile to let them know she's joking.

As all of the Walkers and Joneses congratulate the two and bombard them with questions, my gaze locks with Charlotte's. That could be us soon, and the idea calls to something primitive deep inside me.

I want that. I want a family more than anything, and hopefully, the goddess will see fit to bless us. In the meantime, we can have lots of fun trying.

"What about you, Hayley?" I ask when everyone retakes their seats, and the ear-splitting screeching has ceased.

"I don't want to, either. I like being just me. Like Leah said, if it happens, it happens, but I'm not going to push it."

I thought they might be more eager, now that the threat hanging over them is gone, but I respect their decisions.

And Rex and Cooper don't look disappointed. In fact, Rex looks pretty relieved, and from the happy expressions around the table, it seems everyone is on board with their choices.

"And so, what's next for the king and queen?" Chase asks, arms folded over his chest. "You've set a lot of balls in motion. You're not going to be able to manage all of that from overseas."

He's right. Much as I'd love to take Charlotte there for an extended break, and to spend real time with my father, we have too much responsibility now. Michelle is there now, getting to know him while she can, and I have another person who's extremely eager to assist.

"We're going to go there next, spend a couple of weeks, then come back and get stuck in. And Elodie's going to go to Ireland and pick his brain for as long as he's able."

Zoe seems surprised by this. "Won't he mind? Some stranger arriving and asking him lots of questions?"

Ha!

"No old man will object to a beautiful woman asking to listen to his old war stories. He'll be thrilled with the company." I'm pretty confident she may actually be able to help him stick around a little longer, to give him a purpose again. "But for now, my plan is to get through this evening without killing anyone, then steal my mate away before midnight."

"I'll drink to that," Cooper says, lifting his beer in toast. "Cheers!"

As the glasses and bottles clink over the table, and everyone laughs and smiles, Charlotte's hand finds mine under the table. Not only have I protected my family, but I've become one of them as well. And now, with my mate at my side, I can look forward to creating our own.

As the temperature of her skin registers with me, I begin to growl, quiet, but deadly.

The rest of the table falls silent.

It looks like we might be starting right now.

"Go. Now." Blake Steel tosses a pair of keys at me across the table. "My cabin's location is in the GPS. You won't be disturbed there."

I have Charlotte out of her seat in a flash, carrying her bridal style toward the exit, as the atmosphere in the room shifts, turning dark and heated.

"Killian?" Charlotte whimpers, her fingers digging into my neck and chest as she curls up against me, her nose pressed to the bare skin on my neck. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes," I grit out through clenched teeth. I can barely talk. My body is so tense, each muscle coiled tightly, ready to react with violence, if anyone so much as looks at my mate the wrong way.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this," she mumbles, while at the same time, licking the sensitive spot below my ear and sliding her hand inside my shirt to drag her nails over my chest. "Oh god, everyone is looking at me, but all I want to do is tackle you to the ground and tear your clothes off."

"Not helping." I growl, holding her to me as I pick up the pace, eager to get somewhere private where she can do just that.

A needy whimper slips past her lips, and I groan, my need for her almost enough to blind me to reason. I'd love to find a quiet spot here and take her hard, to give her the climax she needs to satiate the heat, but that'll only provide a short-term relief.

Her heat will last for days. Or until she falls pregnant.

Fuck, I hope that's how this ends. I'm in my forties, and the male equivalent of the biological clock rings loudly in my ears. Now that I've found my mate, I can't imagine anything better than starting our own little family.

But not here. Not like this.

It's not safe to be anywhere near other shifters.

We have to leave and get somewhere I can take my time and look after her like the queen she is.

"It's okay, Charlie. I've got you. And I'm going to take good care of you. Forever."